First, I'm thinking the sim should provide a close feel
That would be your first error. All depends on how the sim is set up and tweaked.
For instance, going back 10 years or more, the FAA dictated that US AOC operators of the 737 had to have sims with the latest rudder model to cover the hardover problems in vogue at the time, as I recall.
At the time I was instructing on a 732 which had the upgrade installed to cover its US customers. Before mod, the rudder response was a bit like a slap in the face with a wet fish. Afterwards, totally impressive.
As I was the slowest fellow to step back I ended up being conscripted to fly the before and after demo checks that the particular operator wanted to see so I had a pretty close up and personal view of the detailed differences.
Trust a sim to represent the aircraft ? In the middle of the routine envelope, sure ... around the edges, it depends on this and that ...